Golden Rams beat buzzer for big win

WEST CHESTER – It’s usually ill-advised to make too much out of a single basketball game in early January, but there is no denying that Friday’s matchup between a pair of squads with legitimate title hopes from each of the PSAC’s two divisions was quite intriguing from the outset.

And then what transpired on the floor at Hollinger Fieldhouse between West Chester and Mercyhurst only elevated the entire experience. The resulting battle was so close, the outcome wasn’t decided until the final second, when junior guard Troy Hockaday’s game-winner gave the Golden Rams a heart-pounding 68-66 triumph.

“It was an electrifying atmosphere,” acknowledged WCU head coach Damien Blair. “It felt like a playoff game, so it was very good to get the win.”

After the Lakers’ Luis Leao knocked down a pair of pressure-packed free throws to knot the score at 66-66 with 5.2 seconds on the clock, West Chester’s Corey Blake inbounded the ball to Hockaday about 75 feet from the hoop. He wheeled around and saw a lot of open space.

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“The play was designed to get the ball to Jon (Breeden) and let him attack,” Blair explained. “And if they collapsed, kick it out to a shooter and try to get fouled. But they doubled Jon and Troy is as good as anybody we have at getting to the basket. He’s actually faster than Jon.”

Wasting no time, Hockaday power dribbled up the court and laid it in just as a couple defenders were arriving a tad too late with a mere three-tenths of a second remaining. It was Hockaday’s only field goal of the evening.

“It was the biggest shot of my college career. I don’t even have to think about that,” Hockaday confirmed.

“There was only five seconds left so I knew I had to get down the court. They paid attention to Jon so that left me wide open. I was kind of surprised when I got the ball, looked up, and saw a mostly open court. I wanted to attack the basket and I needed to get to the rim and either make the shot or get fouled.”

The final play helped WCU avoid a demoralizing late-game collapse to set up another big Hollinger showdown with PSAC West contender Gannon. The Rams (6-2, 8-4 overall) have won five of their last six.

“Mercyhurst is a very good team,” Blair said. “If they’d have won, they would be tied for first in the (Western Division). All in all, I thought our kids played very hard.”

West Chester built a nine-point lead with 5:18 left in first half, but was unable to push the margin into double figures until the culmination of a 13-3 rally made it 48-35 with just over 13 minutes on the clock.

Still in front, 62-52, with five minutes on the clock, the Rams had a series of untimely empty possessions, allowing the Lakers to reel off a 12-2 run to tie it at 64-all heading into the final 81 seconds of regulation.

“We gave up a big lead, which upsets me,” Blair said.

“We let them back into the game so we knew at the end we had to find a way to win,” Hockaday added.

Blake (14 points, seven rebounds) buried two free throws with 1:21 remaining to put WCU ahead by two, but Leao erased the lead with two of his own, setting the stage for Hockaday’s buzzer-beating heroics.

“Troy’s come a long way,” Blair said. “He is a defensive stopper for us and he can get to the basket and finish. I don’t think it was one of his better games tonight. But to make the game-winning shot against a very good team, I am happy for him.”

In addition to Hockaday, West Chester got two other big efforts off the bench from Shannon Givens and Jaleel Mack. Givens poured in 14 points and Mack had a season-high 11. Carl Johnson chipped in 10 points.

“The message to the guys in the locker room is to remember last year,” Blair pointed out. “We had some big wins, and it’s nice to celebrate, but then you have to let it go and play the next day.

“We’ve been talking a lot about how to prepare for the second game.”

NOTE: With Friday’s victory, WCU became the 17th men’s basketball outfit in Division II to reach 1,300 all-time wins. West Chester holds the distinction of being the nation’s oldest Division II program with 116 seasons of action since debuting in 1897. Millersville is 13th (1,330) and is the only other PSAC school in the top 17.